He was born Lucien Ginzburg in Paris, France, the son of Jewish Russian parents who fled to France after the 1917 Bolshevik uprising. His childhood was profoundly affected by the occupation of France by Nazi Germany, during which he and his family, as Jews, were forced to wear the yellow star and eventually flee from Paris. He had a daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, with English singer and actress Jane Birkin; and a son, Lulu, with his last partner, Bambou (Caroline Von Paulus, who is related to Friedrich Paulus). Before he was 30 years old, Lucien Ginsburg was a disillusioned painter but earned his living as a piano player in bars. Daughter Charlotte would later become an actress and singer.
His early songs were influenced by Boris Vian and were largely in the vein of "old-fashioned" chanson. Very early, however, Gainsbourg began to move beyond this and experiment with a succession of different musical styles: jazz early on, English pop in the 60's, reggae in the 70's, even hip-hop in the 80's.
Success began to arrive when, in 1965, his song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" was the Luxembourg entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Performed by French teen singer France Gall, it won the grand prize. (The song was covered in English as "A Lonely Singing Doll" by British teen idol Twinkle.) He arranged other Gall songs and LPs that were characteristic of the late 1960s psychedelic styles, among them Gall's '1968' album. Another of Serge's songs "Boum Bada Boum" was entered in by Monaco in the 1967 contest, sung by Minouche Barelli; It came 5th.
In 1969, he released what would become his most famous song in the English-speaking world, "Je t'aime... moi non plus", which featured simulated sounds of female orgasm. The song appeared that year on an LP, "Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg". Originally recorded with Brigitte Bardot, it was released with future girlfriend Birkin when Bardot backed out. While Gainsbourg declared it the "ultimate love song," it was considered too "hot"; the song was censored in various countries, and in France, even the toned-down version was suppressed. Even the Vatican made a public statement citing the song as offensive. Its notoriety led it to reaching no. 1 in the UK singles chart. A long-standing rumor maintains that Gainsbourg and Birkin were actually having sex during the recording session (asked about it in an interview, Gainsbourg answered that if this was true, the song would have lasted longer than 4 minutes).
The seventies
His most influential work came near the start of the seventies with Histoire de Melody Nelson, released in 1971. This concept album, produced and arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier, tells the story of a Lolita-esque affair, with Gainsbourg as the narrator and Jane Birkin as the eponymous English heroine. It features prominent string arrangements and even a massed choir at its tragic climax. At the time, sales were poor, but the album has proven influential with artists such as Air, David Holmes and Beck.
In 1975, he released the album Rock Around the Bunker, a rock album written entirely on the subject of the Nazis. Gainsbourg used black humour, as he and his family suffered during World War II. While a child in Paris, Gainsbourg himself had worn the Yellow badge as the mark of a Jew.
The next year saw the release of another major work, L'Homme à la Tête de Chou (Cabbage-Head Man), featuring the new character Marilou and sumptuous orchestral themes.
In Jamaica in 1978 he recorded "Aux Armes et cetera," a reggae version of the French national anthem "La Marseillaise", with Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar and Rita Marley. This song earned him death threats from right-wing veterans of the Algerian War of Independence who were opposed to certain lyrics. Shortly afterwards, Gainsbourg bought the original manuscript of La Marseillaise. He was able to reply to his critics that his version was, in fact, closer to the original as the manuscript clearly shows the words "Aux armes et cætera..." for the chorus.
The next year saw him in the new look of Gainsbarre, officially introduced in the song "Ecce Homo."
Final years
In the 1980's, approaching the end of his life, Gainsbourg became a regular figure on French TV. His appearances seemed devoted to his controversial sense of humour and provocation. He would frequently show up drunk and unshaven on stage. Perhaps his most famous incident came when, on Michel Drucker's live Saturday evening show with the American singer Whitney Houston, he exclaimed, "I want to fuck her."
During this period he released Love On The Beat and his last studio album, You're Under Arrest, (which saw him adapt his style to the hip-hop genre), as well as two live recordings. His third and last Eurovision Song Contest entry came in 1990 with the French entry "White and Black Blues", sung by Joëlle Ursull. It came second in a tie with Ireland. His songs became increasingly eccentric in this period, ranging from the anti-drug "Les Enfants de la Chance" to the duet with his daughter Charlotte called "Lemon Incest (Un zeste de citron)." The title of the latter demonstrates Gainsbourg's love of puns (another example is "Bowie, Beau oui comme Bowie").
Discography :
1958 : Du Chant À La Une !
1959 : Serge Gainsbourg N°2
1961 : L'étonnant Serge Gainsbourg
1962 : Serge Gainsbourg N° 4
1963 : Gainsbourg Confidentiel
1964 : Gainsbourg Percussions
1968 : Initials B.B.
1968 : Bonnie And Clyde ( with Brigitte Bardot )
1969 : Jane Birkin-Serge Gainsbourg
1971 : Histoire de Melody Nelson ( with Jane Birkin )
1973 : Vu de l'extérieur
1975 : Rock around the bunker
1976 : L'Homme à tête de chou
1979 : Aux armes et cætera
1981 : Mauvaises Nouvelles Des Étoiles
1984 : Love on the Beat
1987 : You're Under Arrest
Les papillons noirs
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De tout son cœur on aimerait
Que disparaissent à jamais
Les papillons noirs
Les papillons noirs
Les papillons noirs
Les autres filles te séduisent;
Attirent au cœur de la nuit
Les papillons noirs
Les papillons noirs
Les papillons noirs
Aux lueurs de l'aube imprécise,
Dans les eaux troubles d'un miroir,
Tu te rencontres par hasard
Complètement noir
Complètement noir
Complètement noir
Alors tu vois sur ta chemise
Que tu t'es mis tout près du cœur
Le smoking des temps de rigueur,
Un papillon noir
Un papillon noir
Un papillon noir
Un papillon noir...
The song Les papillons noirs by Serge Gainsbourg dives into the melancholic depths of the night and the emotional turmoil of heartbreak. The opening lines convey the idea that during the night, every sorrow amplifies and intensifies. The singer wishes for the permanent disappearance of the black butterflies, which metaphorically symbolize the pain and misery that comes with love and loss. The phrase "De tout son cœur on aimerait" (With all of one's heart, we would love) is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the desperateness of the singer's emotions.
The second verse explores the singer's jealousy towards other women who are trying to seduce his lover. Their shiny jewels attract "Les papillons noirs" to the heart of the night, emphasizing how easy it is for the singer's lover to replace him with someone else. The lack of importance given to the singer creates a feeling of worthlessness and further emphasizes his misery.
The final verse describes a chance encounter with a mirror, where the singer realizes that he is "Complètement noir" (Completely black) and has a black butterfly on his shirt. The black butterfly on his shirt represents the death of his relationship and the hopelessness he feels in trying to mend it. The song's overall message is one of deep heartbreak and emotional strife, making this one of Gainsbourg's most poignant works.
Line by Line Meaning
La nuit, tous les chagrins se grisent;
In the darkness, all sorrows become hazy;
De tout son cœur on aimerait
With all your heart you would like
Que disparaissent à jamais
For the black butterflies to disappear forever
Les papillons noirs
The black butterflies
Les papillons noirs
The black butterflies
Les papillons noirs
The black butterflies
Les autres filles te séduisent;
Other girls seduce you;
De mille feux, leurs pierreries
With sparkling jewelry,
Attirent au cœur de la nuit
They attract in the heart of the night
Les papillons noirs
The black butterflies
Les papillons noirs
The black butterflies
Les papillons noirs
The black butterflies
Aux lueurs de l'aube imprécise,
In the uncertain dawn light,
Dans les eaux troubles d'un miroir,
In the murky waters of a mirror,
Tu te rencontres par hasard
You randomly meet yourself
Complètement noir
Completely black
Complètement noir
Completely black
Complètement noir
Completely black
Alors tu vois sur ta chemise
Then you see on your shirt
Que tu t'es mis tout près du cœur
That you have placed a black butterfly close to your heart
Le smoking des temps de rigueur,
The formal attire of conformity
Un papillon noir
A black butterfly
Un papillon noir
A black butterfly
Un papillon noir
A black butterfly
Un papillon noir...
A black butterfly...
Contributed by Sophia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
levoom69
Bijou était un groupe pour les initiés, ils étaient différents de Téléphone, qui était un groupe plus médiatique. Ce qui n’empêchait de les retrouver tous dans Best et Rock n’ Folk et aussi dans l’émission Chorus le dimanche matin sur A2. Ils ont tous contribué à l’épanouissement du Rock Français.
Alain Bruch
J'adore cette vidéo les mimics de Serge gainsbourg m'obsède c'est du pur rock n roll et la fantaisie de bijou à la fin 1 plaisir........
Frédéric Joly coeur de roy
Je suis vraiment un inconditionnel de Bijou...Et pourtant j'ai dépassé allègrement la cinquantaine...avis aux amateurs de dénigrements...pauvres mecs !!!
jim adlington
great french music love this tune
algonquin109
Sans déc', top la tv dans les 70's ! Super les p'tits gars !!
Pascal Lesage
Serge avait écrit un titre pour Bijou " Betty jane rose "
VARIATIONS27
Une Perle Dans Les Bijou .........
Sandrine Rousseau
Cte classe le gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
sans doute mais elles sont sympa ;)
justinevry
les lunettes n'ont pas de marque mais ont bien une histoire.